This invention is directed to an apparatus for binding the edges of leaves with heat, and in particular, to an apparatus for binding pages with a heat sensitive adhesive attached to at least one such page edge.
Methods of binding pages together, either just with each other or to an outside cover, are known in the art. These methods are used to make books, brochures, and the like. One such method involves gluing page edges to the spine of a folder using a heat-activated adhesive, resulting in a thermoplastic bond between the pages or the pages and the folder. An apparatus which accomplishes this thermal binding is described in Federal Republic of Germany Patent No. 37 02 529. This apparatus is equipped with a heating element for melting and gluing an adhesive bead to the spine of the folder to be produced. This heating element has a resistance unit controlled by a adjustable thermostat by means of a suitable circuit.
The disadvantage of this apparatus is the complexity of the thermostat and temperature control circuit.
Accordingly, a less elaborate apparatus for producing thermal heat binding is desired.